Fact: Not all tools are equal. A wood saw can never be a wrench. A hammer can never be a screwdriver. And a needle-nose can never be a hacksaw. Period.

One of the things we discussed in a previous article (click here) is that nobody wants to carry a whole toolbox worth of tools inside their Survival Kit. Doing so would 1) be stupid. and 2) add so much weight that it would literally render it unusable if you ever had to get the heck out of dodge. That is why we previously suggested you only acquire the following light weight and basic hand tools for your Survival Kit: multi-head screwdriver, adjustable wrench, mini-hacksaw blade, mini-pry bar, and a spring-loaded center punch.

Having those five essential tools in your kit will most certainly help you keep your head above water when things get nasty – but what about when you need a few choice hand tools and you’re nowhere near your Kit. Then what? Well, the answer is this: You pull out your multi-tool.

Now days, multi-tools come in all different shapes, sizes, colors, and sadly – qualities. To assure you truly get a quality product, we have decided to combine the $20 from paycheck 15 and the $20 from paycheck 16 to give you a total of $40 towards a well-built and name brand multi-tool.

Now there are many different “types” of multi-tools on the market right now, and they all have their purpose. With only a 1 to 2 minute Google search you can easily find the credit-card style, the Swiss Army style, the keychain style, the folding style, and so on. The multi-tool that we recommend you purchase is the folding style that usually comes with some sort of belt mounted sheath. If you’re not completely sure what style we’re talking about, simply look at the images included with this article and you’ll get the idea.

The reason we recommend this style over the others is pretty much a no-brainer.

Most everyone can look at one of these, know what it is, and know how to use it. This is not always the case with the other models.

Almost all of these models come with an included belt-mounted sheath. This is a HUGE plus. Once disaster hits, you can put one of these bad boys on your hip and forget about it until you need it – No need to carry a survival pack full of tools everywhere you go.

Lastly, these little work horses (which usually only weigh around 7oz.) can have upwards to 16 useful tools on them, depending on the configuration. A list of the most common tools is provided below:

Needle nose pliers

Blunt nose pliers

Wire cutter

Fine edge knife blade

Partially serrated knife blade

Saw

File

Scissors

Phillips head screwdriver

Small flat head screwdriver

Medium flat head screwdriver

Large flat head screw driver

Bit driver

Wire stripper

Wire crimper

Hand drill

Can opener

Bottle opener

Corkscrew

Flashlight (yep, some come with a teeny tiny mounted flashlight!)

Gun cleaning rod

Gun cleaning brush

Fish scaler

Hook dislodger

Hammer head

Metric ruler

Standard ruler

Lanyard loop

Having a well built multi-tool has helped me more times than I could honestly count (and that’s not because I don’t know how to count). I’ve used mine for everything from making repairs on my pickup truck to modifying a damaged piece of clothing. These things really are amazing. As stated above, the budget for your multi-tool is $40 and finding a high quality product for that price won’t be difficult at all. Doing a 30 second search on the internet, I pulled up these 4 right off the bat:

And if you don’t like any of those, rest assured that there are MANY more out there. Since 2006 I’ve been carrying the Gerber 07550 Needlenose Multi-Plier 600. It is a rock solid product that has NEVER let me down. Not once. Ever. And I’ve used this thing in multiple countries and in multiple harsh environments. Stated plainly: I highly recommend it. The good news is that earlier tonight I managed to find it on Amazon.com. The better news is that it fits our $40 budget. Check it out below:

However, if you are looking to provide a multi-tool to each member of your family while staying under your $40 budget, you may want to consider the less expensive and smaller version which has only 12 included tool options (which is still pretty dang good!) Check link below:

With a solid multi-tool you can fix everything from your water heater and backup generator to your propane grill and your pickup truck (well, parts of it anyways). When it comes to bang for the buck, it’s just silly not to have one.

Well, you have all the information that you need to make a wise decision. You are worth it. And so is your family. So, go do it and don’t be stingy. Cough up the full $40 and get yourself a multi-tool you can be proud of. Someday, it just may save your butt (and your pickup truck…) 🙂

I agree. It was nice to see this series up and running again. On a side note, I also own the Gerber 600 Needle nose. I love that thing, but I got mine about 7 years ago and the price was about $10 more expensive then. I’m actually thinking about picking up a spare one off of Amazon for that price. That way if mine ever breaks I’ll have a quick replacement. Not sure why that’s even a thought really. This thing seems like it will never die. Anyways, thanks!